The Machines of the Wright Brothers

The eight most-important machines invented by the Wright brothers are explored and explained by renowned airplane archaeologist Nick Engler. A unique opportunity to study the genius of the Wrights' inventions with expert analysis by the man who recreated them.

Machine One: The 1899 Wright Model Glider or Kite

Designed and built by Wilbur Wright to test his idea of warping the wings of a flying machine to achieve balance and control rather than shifting one's own body weight. Wing-warping proved to be the big idea that lead to the invention of the airplane.

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Machine Two: The 1900 Wright Glider

The Wrights' first man-carrying aircraft tested on the dunes of the Outer Banks of North Carolina in 1900. The little glider achieved modest success and gave the brothers the confidence to think that they too could contribute to the scientific pursuit of heavier-than-air flight.

Machine Three: The 1901 Wright Glider

The performance of the much-bigger 1901 glider was very disappointing for the Wrights. The poor flight-test results compelled the brothers to only trust airfoil designs they could first test and lift coefficients they could prove on their own.

Machine Four: The 1901 Wright Wind Tunnel, Balances, and Airfoils

With their first small wind tunnel and tiny metal balances, the Wrights invented modern aeronautical engineering. The brothers obtained the data they needed to design a reliable and fully-controllable aircraft.

Machine Five: The 1902 Wright Glider

Launched from Big Kill Devil Hill in North Carolina, the Wrights' 1902 glider provided Orville and Wilbur with fully-controlled and long-sustained glides. The successful flight tests convinced the brothers that they now had solved the mysteries of flight.

Machine Six: The 1903 Wright Propellers and Engine

The 1903 propellers that Wilbur Wright invented in the back room of his Dayton, Ohio bicycle shop were nearly as effective as modern airplane propellers. The engine that the Wrights built from scratch in 1903 was unreliable and finicky but it satisfied their stringent requirements for power delivered at a low weight.

Machine Seven: The 1903 Wright Flyer I

The famous heavier-than-air craft was the first to takeoff on its own power; make a sustained and level flight; and land successfully on December 17, 1903 near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Not the best air plane the Wrights built but it was the first in history.

Machine Eight: The 1905 Wright Flyer III

In 1904 and 05, the Wrights built and tested two airplanes in a cow pasture called Huffman Prairie near Dayton, Ohio. The 1904 Flyer was a close copy of their 1903 design. The 1905 Flyer, however, is considered to be the first "practical" airplane because it was the first to make reliable controlled maneuvers and achieve sustained flights of 25 miles (40 km) at altitudes as high as 100 feet (30 m).

Watch all eight Machines videos — watch everything now!It's easy. You'll sign on to Vimeo (as easy to use as YouTube) and pay only $9.98 to watch all the videos, all unlocked, here on wrightbro.com for one month.

It's easy to find any video you want with our All-Access Videos menu tab at the top of every webpage.

For even more information about the inventions and flying machines built by the Wrights, be sure to visit the Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company, a virtual museum of pioneer aviation. This superb web museum was founded by Nick Engler.